Public service integrity officer.

• Author: Keyserlingk, Edward

On November 30, 2001 Treasury Board adopted a policy "On the Internal Disclosure of Information Concerning Wrongdoing in the Workplace". The objective of this policy is to allow public servants to bring forward information concerning wrongdoing and to ensure that they are treated fairly and are protected from reprisals when they do so in a matter consistent with the policy. In support of this policy a position known as the Public Service Integrity Officer was created. This article outlines the mandate and operation of the office.

Public officials serve the Government and the public interest by providing professional and neutral advice in a manner that is consistent with certain ethical standards and values. Accordingly, when an employee has reasonable grounds to believe that another person has violated these standards he or she should be able to disclose this information through a clearly defined processes and with confidence that he or she will be treated fairly and protected from reprisals.

The mandate of the Public Service Integrity Officer is to act as a neutral entity on matters of internal disclosure of wrongdoing. In particular, I assist employees who believe that their issue cannot be disclosed within their own department; or who raised their disclosure issue(s) in good faith through the departmental mechanisms but believe that the disclosure was not appropriately addressed.

The specific responsibilities of the Public Service Integrity Officer are outlined in Treasury Board Policy. They are:

* to provide advice to employees who are considering making a disclosure;

* to receive, record and review the disclosures of wrongdoing received from departmental employees and/or the requests for review submitted from departmental employees;

* to establish if there are sufficient grounds for further action and review;

* to ensure that procedures are in place to manage instances of wrongdoing that require immediate or urgent action;

* to initiate investigation when required, to review the results of investigations and to prepare reports, and to make recommendations to deputy heads on how to address or correct the disclosure;

* in some special cases or in cases when the departmental responses are not adequate or timely, to make a report of findings to the Clerk of the Privy Council in his role as head of the Public Service;

* to establish adequate procedures to ensure that the protection of the information and the treatment of the files are in accordance with the Privacy Act and the Access to Information Act;

* to protect from reprisal employees who disclose information concerning wrongdoing in good faith;

* to monitor the type and disposition of cases brought to the attention of the Public Service Integrity Officer; and

* to prepare an annual report to the President of the Privy Council on his or her activities for tabling in Parliament.

I think it is important to state at the outset that in keeping with our legal tradition of innocent until proven guilty...